It's been a long and hard fight, says relieved Lalit Modi

New Delhi: Former Indian Premier League (IPL) chairman and commissioner Lalit Modi yesterday said it has been a long hard fight for him to get his Indian passport restored.

Lalit Modi

"It has been a long and hard fight and today, I stand vindicated. I have always believed in our legal system and finally justice has prevailed. Virtually every case that was based on falsehoods has not been able to stand up to our legal system and for that I am thankful," said Modi in a statement.

The Delhi High Court paved the way for Modi's return to India by restoring his passport here yesterday. Modi, had been expelled by the Indian cricket board and has been living in England in exile since 2010.

His passport was revoked in March 2011 after he allegedly eluded the investigating agencies over allegations of foreign exchange violations in the IPL.

But Modi can return home safely now. "I have always maintained that I am keen to return to India. I will continue to fight for the sake of cleansing our beloved game of cricket and everything that continues to ail it," he added.

The Delhi High Court's division bench of Justice BD Ahmed and Justice Vibhu Bakhru allowed Modi's plea challenging the revocation of his passport.

The regional passport office in Mumbai had revoked Modi's passport on March 3, 2011, following an Enforcement Directorate probe into allegations of financial irregularities in the IPL.